Optimized air pollution control

Abstract

A controller directs operation of an air pollution control (APC) system performing a process to control emissions of a pollutant. The process has multiple process parameters (MPPs), one or more of the MPPs being a controllable process parameters (CTPPs) and one of the MPPs being an amount of the pollutant (AOP) emitted by the system. A user input device identifies an optimization objective. A control processor determines a set point for at least one of the one or more CTPPs based on the current values of the MPPs and the identified optimization objective, and directs control of one of the at least one CTPP based on the determined set point for that CTPP.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. ______ [Attorney Docket 3156-046], filed concurrently herewith, entitled MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL OF AIR POLLUTION CONTROL PROCESSES; U.S. application Ser. No. ______ [Attorney Docket 3156-046E], filed concurrently herewith, entitled COST BASED CONTROL OF AIR POLLUTION CONTROL; U.S. application Ser. No. ______ [Attorney Docket 3156-046H], filed concurrently herewith, entitled CONTROL OF ROLLING OR MOVING AVERAGE VALUES OF AIR POLLUTION CONTROL EMISSIONS TO A DESIRED VALUE; U.S. application Ser. No. ______ [Attorney Docket 3156-0461], filed concurrently herewith, entitled CASCADED CONTROL OF AN AVERAGE VALUE OF A PROCESS PARAMETER TO A DESIRED VALUE; U.S. application Ser. No. ______ [Attorney Docket 3156-046J], filed concurrently herewith, entitled MAXIMIZING PROFIT AND MINIMIZING LOSSES IN CONTROLLING AIR POLLUTION; U.S. application Ser. No. ______ [Attorney Docket 3156-046K], filed concurren...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a system for controlling emissions of a pollutant, such as emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from a wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) system. The system uses an air pollution control (APC) system to control the emissions. The system includes a controller that directs the operation of the APC system based on the current values of multiple parameters, such as the amount of pollutant emitted, the cost of operation, and the user's objective. The controller can determine the set points for these parameters based on the current values of the parameters, the identified objective, and the model used to represent the relationships between the parameters. The system can also use a neural network or other non-neural network to determine the set points. The control processor can also consider the quality of the produced by-product, such as gypsum, as a measure of the system's performance. Overall, the invention provides a more efficient and effective way to control emissions of pollutants from WFGD systems.

Problems solved by technology

These other reactants are typically more expensive and are not currently cost-competitive with the limestone reactant.

These pumps are some of the largest pumps in the world and they are driven by electricity that could otherwise be sold directly to the power grid (parasitic power load).

No direct on-line measurement of gypsum purity is conventionally available.

However, if the PID controller 180 does not have the correct value for the tuning factor or process gain, or if the process conditions are changing, the proportional function will be imprecise.

This is because application of the derivative element is not particularly beneficial for this type of control application.

Thus, without the feed forward loop, it is very difficult for the PID 180 to provide adequate control over a wide range of pH with the same tuning constants.

That is, there may be a conflict between meeting the SO2 emission requirements and the gypsum quality requirements.

The higher the slurry is introduced into the tower, the more contact time it has with the flue gas resulting in more SO2 removal, but this additional SO2 removal comes at the penalty of increased power consumption to pump the slurry to the higher spray level.

The addition of this extra spray level adds to the capital costs of the absorber tower and hence the subsystem.

However, these additives tend to be expensive and therefore their use will result in increased operational costs, which may, over time, offset the savings in capital costs.

However, there is an upper limit to the amount of oxygen that can be absorbed or held by slurry.

However, because it is not possible to measure the O2 in the slurry, the level of O2 in the slurry is not used as a constraint on conventional WFGD subsystem operations.

Thus, there is no way of accurately monitoring when the slurry within the crystallizer 134 is becoming starved for O2.

With insufficient oxidation, sulfite limestone blinding can occur resulting in poor gypsum quality, and potentially subsequent lower SO2 removal efficiency, and a high chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the waste water.

Without proper compensating adjustments, this can lead to high sulfite concentrations in the slurry, which in turn results in limestone blinding, lower absorber tower 132 SO2 removal efficiency, poor gypsum quality, and a high chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the wastewater.

In making these conservative selections, the operator often, if not always, sacrifices minimum-cost operation.

However, by guaranteeing the gypsum purity, the operator often sacrifices the SO2 removal efficiency.

However, by selecting this setpoint for pH, the operator sacrifices 3% of the SO2 removal efficiency.

However, because the relationship between the power costs and SO2 removal efficiency is not well understood by most operators, operators will typically take a conservative approach.

However, continuous operation at the instantaneous emission limit will result in a violation of the rolling-average limit.

On the other hand, controlling emissions to the rolling-average limit is more complex.

In either case, there is no explicit control of the rolling-average emissions, and therefore no way to ensure compliance with the rolling-average limit or prevent costly over-compliance.

In addition, side reactions may produce undesirable by-products: ammonium sulfate, (NH4)2SO4, and ammonium bisulfate, NH4HSO4.

This is a greater problem with high-sulfur coals, caused by higher SO3 levels resulting from both higher initial SO3 levels due to fuel sulfur content and oxidation of SO2 in the SCR reactor.

However, there is often no calculation or on-line measurement of ammonia slip.

Not only does this salt reduce the heat-transfer across the air preheater it also attracts ash that further reduces the heat-transfer.

Abrupt decreases in the flue gas / NOx load can result in abnormally high short-term ammonia slip.

While ammonia slip is very low, ammonia is very aromatic, so even relatively trace amounts can create an odor problem with the local community.

If the ammonia concentration of the fly ash becomes too great there can be a significant expensive associated with disposal of the fly ash.

By conservatively selecting a setpoint for NOx, the operator / engineer reduces the overall removal efficiency of the SCR.

No attempt to actually control or optimize temperature is made in most cases.

Unfortunately, the NOx distribution profile is a function of not just the ductwork, but also boiler operation.

Standard controllers do not account for the fact that the NOx inlet and velocity profiles to the SCR are seldom uniform or static.

Dynamic Control: The standard controller also fails to provide effective dynamic control.

That is, when the inlet conditions to the SCR are changing thus requiring modulation of the ammonia injection rate, it is unlikely that the feedback control of NOx reduction efficiency will be able to prevent significant excursions in this process variable.

Rapid load transients and process time delays are dynamic events, which can cause significant process excursions.

Catalyst Decay: The catalyst decays over time reducing the removal efficiency of the SCR and increasing the ammonia slip.

There is little effort applied to improving dynamic control of the SCR during load transients or to optimizing operation of the SCR.

Selecting the optimal instantaneous, and if possible, rolling-average NOx removal efficiency is also an elusive and changing problem due to business, regulatory / credit, and process issues that are similar to those associated with optimal operation of the WFGD.

Other APC processes exhibit problems associated with: Controlling / optimizing dynamic operation of the process, Control of byproduct / co-product quality, Control of rolling-average emissions, and Optimization of the APC asset.

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